*DISCLAIMER: I PURCHASED THE QUEST MYSELF. ALL VIEWS IN THIS REVIEW ARE MY OWN AND DO NOT COME FROM THE COMPANIES THAT HAVE KINDLY PROVIDED THE SELECTION OF GAMES REVIEWED*

Oculus Quest is, "our first all-in-one gaming system built for virtual reality. You can now play almost anywhere with just a VR headset and controllers. No PC. No wires. No limits. Stop watching games and step into them. Whether you're dodging spells or slashing through enemy hordes, you've never been this close to the action." - Oculus Quest Feature Page

I was 13 when I first heard about modern day VR and the Oculus. Saving my pocket money for a whole year, I pre-ordered the Oculus DK2. The obsession with this new technology didn't stop there, in the following two years, I saved my money again and pre-ordered the Oculus CV1; I think that was what started my unhealthy addiction to new pieces of tech... Anyway, all I ever wanted from this platform was a wireless experience that still delivered the same quality as the Rift. This was a lot to ask for, and they actually delivered. The Oculus Quest features a 33% increase in resolution to the Rift, inside-out tracking (which removes external sensors), new touch controllers, and about 50 launch titles; 12 of which I’ll give my first impressions of below.

Vader Immortal: Episode I

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £7.99 | €9.99 | $9.99

Download Size: 2.65GB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"Step inside a galaxy far, far away with Vader Immortal: Episode I. You are a smuggler operating near Mustafar, the fiery world Darth Vader calls home. When you are unexpectedly pulled out of hyperspace, you find yourself uncovering an ancient mystery at the behest of the Sith Lord himself." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

This is the Oculus exclusive series that will either have you giggling like a child throughout, or wondering why it’s so short. The experience lasted about 45 minutes total, which included taking it rather slowly. This would usually annoy me, but the price tag reflects the time, costing you £7.99 for the first episode. The first episode has you exploring Vader’s fortress and discovering his need for you. It has you climbing, unlocking doors with a stick, and features a little lightsaber combat. Although fighting with a lightsaber is cool, it’s very stationary and you feel really restrained throughout. What does shine in this experience is the quality and polish put in by the developers ILMxLAB. It’s a short, but fun experience that you should buy if you’re a Star Wars fan, but maybe wait for the future episodes if not; the dates of which are currently unknown.

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Shadow Point

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £14.99 | €19.99 | $19.99

Download Size: 2.44GB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"Built for VR, Shadow Point is a story-driven puzzle game set between a mountaintop observatory and an ever-changing fantasy world. Explore a vibrant kingdom, cast shadows and solve mind-bending puzzles as you uncover the mystery of missing schoolgirl, Lorna McCabe who vanished from Shadow Point Observatory twelve years ago." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

Where to start with Shadow Point...this is the best VR experience that I’ve ever had; that’s a good way of putting it. This is a puzzle game that has you exploring Shadow Point Observatory as Alex Burkett, looking for Lorna McCabe, a missing schoolgirl from 12 years ago. This search leads you to another world and you progress by manipulating shadows, gravity, and alternate dimensions. It’s a poignant story with engaging gameplay mechanics that slowly reveal themselves over the course of the 6-8 hours it took me to complete. It never ceases to amaze me at how polished and “full” this experience feels. The puzzles are satisfying to solve and offer a wide range of difficulties. There were a couple of technical problems that I encountered, like teleporting into walls and having to restart because I couldn’t get back into the level, but this didn’t detract from the overall experience. If you’re into puzzle story games, you have to pick this up.

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SUPERHOT VR

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £18.99 | €24.99 | $24.99

Download Size: 1.79GB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"No regenerating health bars. No conveniently placed ammo drops. It's just you, outnumbered and outgunned, grabbing the weapons of fallen enemies to shoot, slice, and maneuver through a hurricane of slow-motion bullets. SUPERHOT VR on Quest is the definitive SUPERHOT VR experience. It retains everything great about it from other platforms and it takes advantage of Quest’s tetherless nature to immerse you even more into SUPERHOT’s fabricated, brutal world of concrete and glass." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

Adapted from the amazing PC title, SUPERHOT VR has one simple rule; time only moves when you do. This VR version is more than just a port though - with a unique story and alternate game modes to make this more of a spin-off than a simple VR retelling of the original. The story itself is reasonably short, but incredibly well paced, with a steady introduction of mechanics and harder levels. After the main story is complete, you have a wide range of new game modes to choose from, like I mentioned earlier. Some of these are simply replaying the story in a different way, but one of them is called endless, this allows you to select from a unique map and fight of endless enemies. This can lead to some intriguing puzzle solving as you try and navigate your way to as many enemy eliminations as possible. This is another fantastic Quest title, and something I would recommend to everyone; especially those who want to Matrix dodge all day long.

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Job Simulator

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £14.99 | €19.99 | $19.99

Download Size: 1.65GB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"In a world where robots have replaced all human jobs, step into the "Job Simulator" to learn what it was like 'to do the job'. Players can relive the glory days of work by simulating the ins and outs of being a gourmet chef, an office worker, a convenience store clerk, and more." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

This is probably one of the very first VR titles that I'd heard about. This released back when VR was just a baby and people couldn't stop playing it. However, I think that as of today, it hasn't aged very well. Now that isn't in terms of graphics, polish, or overall quality, because it excels in many of these areas. It's more the overall gameplay and mechanics; both of which feel a little bland and boring now. I completely understand the appeal of this game when VR was so young, it was basically an introduction to this tech. It's just that each level feels like another tutorial and although this is mixed with comedy and overall polish, I can't help but feel a little bored towards the end of them.There is an endless mode that just keeps giving you random jobs, but that isn't the main focus of the game. It doesn't help that you're stuck in one place and can't move past your play space. Overall I kind of just felt a little bored by the end of my time with this, it did pick up in endless mode though.

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Robo Recall: Unplugged

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £22.99 | €29.99 | $29.99

Download Size: 2.97GB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"Robo Recall is an action-packed VR first-person shooter with visceral gameplay and an in-depth scoring system. Earn the high score by using creative combat tactics and skill shots as you teleport through city streets and rooftops in an awe-inspiring ballet of bullets. Tear apart your interactive robot foes and use them to fend off the enemy onslaught." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

This is a game that I started off liking on the Rift, but grew to hate, because of the annoyance of wires on the headset. This wasn't exactly the games fault, but it was frustrating nonetheless. Robo Recall encourages lots of movement and so a tethered experience just feels a little lackluster. Move forward a couple of years and I find out Robo Recall will launch with the Quest; queue my robot killing excitement. The developers have done an excellent job porting, what is quite a huge title, onto the Quest. Although texture quality takes and major dip, gameplay and all levels are kept in this version. It is literally the full experience untethered, and that is simply wonderful. However...I would recommend playing this game in small chunks as it can become quite repetitive and I sometimes found myself wanting to move on to other games. Dismantling robots with your bare hands is fun, but each of the 10 levels are rather similar. It's still a marvelous robot killing experience, and as far as gunplay is concerned, I've enjoyed this title the most.

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I Expect You To Die

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £18.99 | €24.99 | $24.99

Download Size: 727.6MB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"I Expect You To Die is a virtual reality puzzle game that places you in the well-polished shoes of an elite secret agent. You must attempt to survive deadly situations in immersive and dangerous locales. Complete each operation using problem-solving skills and wits… oh, and the power of telekinesis that all our agents are equipped with. Use it and whatever resources you can find to escape each situation... or die trying." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

A very british “campy” puzzle game? How could I resist? The first thing that immediately strikes me about this game is it’s polish. It is incredibly well made and put together, and this is apparent from the opening credits. Each of the five levels currently available (more may be added in the future), are different and quirky and offer a wide range of ways to solve them. In addition to the regular completion of the level, you also have extra challenges and hidden easter eggs to complete; this adds a certain replay value to the game. All in all, I had a great time with this and although it's a little expensive for the amount of levels you get, each one is meticulously crafted and delivers more than what other “Escape Room” style VR games have to offer.

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Space Pirate Trainer

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £10.99 | €14.99 | $14.99

Download Size: 1.41GB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"Space Pirate Trainer is the official trainer for wannabe space pirates. Remember those awesome classic arcade cabinets? Imagine if those were immersive... Space Pirate Trainer puts you in one of those; fighting off relentless waves of droids with all the weapons and gadgets you would ever need as a Space Pirate. You better dodge some of those incoming lasers though, since just using your shields won't get you in the top rankings. Pick up your blasters, put on your sneakers, and dance your way into the Space Pirate Trainer hall of fame." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

This is a party game first and foremost. As a single player game, it is good in short bursts, but it really shines when playing with a group. This is a stationary wave based shooter that encourages the use of a wide range of weapons and defensive techniques. To activate a defensive technique, you must grab this from your back. In the Rift version, it was very smooth as you had external sensors looking at your back, but in the Quest, the sensors are attached to your face and offer no rear detection. However, I am happy to say that the Quest can temporarily interpret where your hand is when behind the sensors, and so this doesn't become a problem in the Quest port. The game itself offers an increasingly difficult wave system where you fight off a selection of robots. Like I mentioned at the beginning, this is best used as a party game, where you compete to see who can get the highest score or the highest round. Strongly recommended.

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Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £10.99 | €14.99 | $14.99

Download Size: 123.5MB

No. Players: 2-6

Summary

"In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, one player is trapped in a virtual room with a ticking time bomb they must defuse. The other players are the “Experts” who must give the instructions to defuse the bomb by deciphering the information found in the Bomb Defusal Manual. But there’s a catch: the Experts can’t see the bomb, so everyone will need to talk it out –fast!" - Oculus Store

First Impressions

One of the best co-op games currently available for the Quest, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes combines interesting game mechanics with engaging cooperative communication; with one person in VR, trying to defuse a randomly generated bomb, and others with a paper manual attempting to guide them to this target. Although you would think that the people outside of VR are the ones having less enjoyment, I actually found myself enjoying the manual navigating more fun! The quick jumping between the pages, and following the very specific rules, makes for a very engaging experience. A word for the wise though...stay calm throughout this game; it could destroy your friendship.

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Moss

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £22.99 | €29.99 | $29.99

Download Size: 2.64GB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"Moss is a single-player action-adventure puzzle game from Polyarc tailor-made for the VR platform. It takes classic components of a great game—such as compelling characters, gripping combat, and captivating world exploration—and combines them with the exciting opportunities of VR." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

This was originally released onto PlayStation VR, and it kind of shows when playing on the Quest. Moss is a sitting experience where the action takes place directly in front of you. This leads me to wonder why the title was so heavily advertised for the Quest platform. This game does feature an intriguing and reasonably well executed story, with fun gameplay mechanics, but it does feel rather short for its price. I enjoyed the overall experience and I think it's a good integration of platformers and VR, but I often found myself going to this game only when my Quest was low on battery and needed charging - I charged the headset whilst playing. There was also a couple of major bugs in the game that actually caused me to quit in frustration to play something else. As purely a game and experience, I would recommend Moss of those who love story based platformers, but for the Quest, I wouldn't recommend unless you really want to experience this title.

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Angry Birds VR: Isle Of Pigs

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £10.99 | €14.99 | $14.99

Download Size: 229.6MB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"Join Red, Chuck, Bomb and the Blues to save the stolen eggs in Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, an immersive VR adventure! Explore the remote island where the greedy green pigs take their vacation in 50+ fun-filled levels (and more to come)! Make your way up to party city through exotic beaches, steep cliffs and snowy slopes, destroying their structures in the most spectacular way to earn those all-important stars." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

Everyone has played, or heard, of what Angry Birds has to offer. It is the game that springs to mind when I think of original iPod/iPhone games. Some including Doodle Jump, Temple Run, Fruit Ninja, and of course... Angry Birds. This VR adaptation doesn't just take the 2D bird throwing, pig slaughtering, and star collecting original and translate it straight to VR, it changes it in a way that really fits the platform that it's on. Although the translation to VR is unique, the overall Angry Birds gameplay remains the same; this is where my problems start. Angry Birds kind of makes itself out to be a puzzle game, but if the level isn't already completely easy, you just keep on trying until you get it right. This doesn't make it a puzzle game, this makes it a time waster; and that’s what makes it perfect for phones. The simple aspect of the gameplay, mixed with the small collection of 52 levels spread over 4 locations, results in a game that just feels rather boring. I'm probably not the age demographic, so if you have, or know, a kid that likes Angry Birds, they may also like this... I don't though.

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Nature Treks VR

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £7.99 | €9.99 | $9.99

Download Size: 775.8MB

No. Players: 1

Summary

"Explore tropical beaches, underwater oceans and even take to the stars. Discover over 20 different animals. Command the weather, take control of the night or shape your own world. Immerse yourself into the Nature Treks VR experience and escape into a world of relaxation." - Oculus Store

First Impressions

This isn't your typical VR game, in fact it's not even really a game. I would say that Nature Treks VR falls into the meditation “non-game” category of VR, and so it must be reviewed as such. This experience offers different environments that you can “semi-explore”. By this, I mean that you can technically move around the game world, but that world is around 225m² on average. This tiny space has chill music and a variety of area specific animals. Each environment can also be slightly manipulated which allows for a “custom meditation” experience. Unfortunately this is all there is. If each environment was procedurally generated and used the same assets to create a random world, that would be good, but it doesn't. If each environment had more custom options that weren't just two models of tree, and 2 lighting choices, that would be good, but it doesn't. The whole experience just feels a little shallow and is something that I can imagine would be good, if more was done to give the player more control.

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Wander

Release Date: 21st May 2019

Price: £7.99 | €9.99 | $9.99

Download Size: 258.5MB

No. Players: 1-999

Summary

"Wander the world openly through the magic of VR. From the comfort of your living room you can teleport almost anywhere in the world - whether you wish to walk across the London Bridge, stroll the gardens of the Taj Mahal, or witness the enormity of the Great Pyramids of Egypt - unlimited exploration awaits!" - Oculus Store

First Impressions

Google Earth in VR? Sure! That's what Wander is. In this small little title, you can go “anywhere on Earth”; as long as that is where Google Street View went. It almost feels like a third party application for Google Earth! The game is equipped with a fancy UI that allows you to quickly browse popular destinations, show other Oculus users areas and talk to them, and save/search for locations. It's a cool use of VR and Google Earth, but it's not something I would use practically and the overall experience feels like something I would show to a friend so and they can see how big the Earth is, and how small we are.

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Final Thoughts:

Overall I think that the Oculus quest is the best VR platform on the market. Although it isn't as powerful as the PC-focused headsets, it still delivers on a truly tether-less experience.

The new pass through system makes setup incredibly easy and intuitive, and this leads to you being able to take the Quest anywhere; including on an aeroplane to Berlin, the location I’m currently writing this. Overall tracking is incredible, even if the lack of rear sensors can cause some issues on occasion. The resolution bump also results in a more immersive experience that can truly confuse your brain if you're in it long enough.

There are a couple of small ‘gripes’ that, if dealt with, would make this a near-perfect experience. The audio attached to the headset, can crackle on occasion, which can be rather off-putting. The system does include a headphone jack, so using your own is not a problem. The lack of expandable storage is disappointing, but I'm yet to uninstall a game or lose space, and I have half the titles available... As the Quest is wireless, the only way to stream the footage is through Facebook or Chromecast. They have said that they're working on full PC streaming, but the release for that is unknown. There is also the option for local recording that you can pull off the Quest itself. Attaching the Quest to your computer also allows you to load mods, videos, pictures, and music onto the hardware.

In total, the current titles available for the Quest offers a wide range of choices for newcomers and experienced VR veterans alike. Out of the 12 I reviewed above, Shadow Point, SUPERHOT VR, and I Expect You To Die, are my favourites. The combination of these three should give you a good starting point for your Quest experience.

For the future, I would love to see some more exclusives or at least new titles. Shadow Point completely blew me away and I really want to see more of that. All in all though, I can't recommend the Quest enough.

Pros

Cons

Wireless experience that still delivers high-performance and fidelity across the available games.

Audio can flicker on occasions in a way that's noticeable for a few moments.

Internal tracking is superb and allows for a smooth experience.

No rear tracking which can cause controllers to lose sync temporarily.

“Passthrough” makes the set-up incredibly easy and intuitive.

No expandable storage.

Audio is perfectly good and offers a loudspeaker option for spectators whilst retaining audio quality.

No full streaming to PC support with some games not even allowing the casting option

Arbitrary Final Score

9.68421

Review by Sam Elliott

Oculus Quest is available now from Amazon, Oculus Store, and many other outlets from, £399/$399. Thank you to all of the developers/publishers for giving me all of the games/assets that were featured in this review. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.